CD Reviews

Hallelujah - give praise to the music

Teija | Vancouver, BC, Canada | 06/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Happy Mondays were at the front of the musical movement in the early 90's known as Madchester; listening through Hallelujah, it's easy to see why. It has all of the essences of dance and indie rock melded into perfect form. The guitar and atmospheric sound make a perfect musical landscape and also show the similarities of the Mondays with their peers, The Stone Roses. However, Shaun Ryder's vocals aren't as atmospheric as the rest of the music. Perhaps because I was first a Stone Roses fan, I prefer the opposite airy vocal approach of Ian Brown. Because of its popularity at one of the local clubs, my preference is the Club mix of Hallelujah versus the MacColl mix. "Clap Your Hands" has a catchy feel to it, but then following it is "Holy Ghost" which isn't much to comment on. "Rave On" shows definite shades of the mid to late-80's, although the club mix of this song (track 6) outshines the original. The true gem of the album, though, is the club mix of the title track. It has a perfect blend of new-age-style gospel background, catchy loops, various guitar effects and a simple but fun bassline. In fact, the last half of the album is full of dance-inducing melody; try listening through tracks 5 to 7 for the perfect 'Mondays set."